How to tell if its a SCAM!

A lot of people are hesitant to start work from home
because of two main reasons:

1. Fear of failure
2. Fear of being scammed!

I am going to talk about the latter of the two. With so many websites claiming you can get rich by working at home, its hard to tell which are legitimate and which to avoid at all costs. I hope after I have shown you a few tell tale signs of web scams, you will feel more confident in identifying the real job opportunities from the fake.

Pyramid Schemes are a rising trend in online scams. Usually this works by someone inviting you to join them in a business opportunity that will guarantee you become rich. The presentations are always very convincing, and unfortunately, you may have a friend that has fallen for it and is trying to coerce you into joining with them.

What happens in this scam is that not only is your friend conned but now they have you believing it as well. The scheme ends up collapsing when the person who initially starts it has made their profit and moved on to scamming another group. Those that bought into the scam are the ones that suffer but by the time they realize, the scammer is untraceable.

Mystery Shoppers.  Sounds like an easy enough job.  Why not get paid to shop? Unfortunately if you are not working for a legitimate company, and there are real ones out there, you are  being scammed. These fake "companies" send you a check to cash to use to shop with. Shoppers are supposed to use some of it for the purchase and send the rest back to the employer. By the time you have done this, your bank is probably calling you telling you that the check you deposited was a counterfeit and you are responsible for the funds.

Advance-Fee Businesses. Advance-fee businesses involve paying for a home-based business. They will have a magnificent product to sell that millions of people are buying everyday! All you have to do to get in on their cash cow? Buy a little bit of overhead, just enough product to start you off selling it on your own.  and once you buy in and pay the setup fee, you find that the materials you bought are garbage IF you even end up receiving the materials at all!

Unfortunately this was the scam I fell victim too. Be sure if you are buying into a product, it is real! There are companies that are successful and trustworthy companies you can buy into with out worry, a couple of those you may have heard of? Mary K, Avon and Creative Memories to name a few.



Career Scams.If you are actively looking for a job you most likely have your resume on the internet somewhere. A new scam taking advantage of your resume is on the rise. You may get an email or phone call from someone claiming they have your resume and know of tons of jobs that are in your area of expertise.

Now if you are hard up for cash and need income quick, this may sound like the means to an end of your financial distress. You simply pay them a small fee for their service and you get the job. You may even be sent on an interview by the recruiter, but this is a SCAM. Usually there isn't any job opening and the company was just scamming you for your money. 


Phishing Scam. This is similar to a career scam, a recruiter may call or email you saying they found your resume and have a job available for you but they need more information. They ask you a few simple questions that seem harmless enough, but in reality, they have just gathered all the information they need to steal your identity. They may use the info for themselves or sell it to third parties.

This leads me to the most dangerous scam online... 


Envelop Stuffing.  You get hired to receive and send out either merchandise or checks. You could be unknowingly sending out the very same checks I mentioned in the mystery shopper or the same garbage merchandise talked about in the Advanced-Fee business. Be very careful about sending out anything for anyone. Many times, all that you are doing is involving more unsuspecting people into the scam and deflecting any criminal investigation from the real crooks to you.


Ok so now you know what types of scams to stay away from, there are things you should do if you suspect a scam.

Email them. be wary if you receive an automated email reply. You can always ask directed questions to see what response, if any, you receive.

Know the job details such as how much and how often you'll be paid. Also what method of payment you will be receiving and if you will be receiving a 10-99 form for taxes. If a company pays by money order it is most likely a fake. You should also call the bank on the first check you received and ask to verify funds. Banks will not always release such information, however they will be able to tell you whether or not the bank account the check is coming from is valid.

Search them and  ask for references. If they are hesitant to provide them you may want to be wary, however some businesses claim they cannot release information due to privacy issues.


Here are some things you should never do:

• Send money back to them
  
  
• Send merchandise or checks to people you do not know
  
  
• Spam others with email
  
  
• Call a 900 number
  
  
• Assembly from home: usually they will not pay you after you have sent the product you made

I hope this blog has helped you identify common scams that many people have fallen for. If there are any I have forgotten or you have been a victim of, please share it with me.